Social Media no matter your point of view on its use has surely done one thing consistently, made the world smaller. The atrocities and injustices of this world should break your heart as it breaks the heart of God and yet in his sovereignty he has allowed these atrocities to continue. In these moments, we do not forget so many others that are suffering from natural disasters and the brokenness of a fallen world, but currently our eyes look to Afghanistan. As we pray and as Jesus’ followers, we know we are not praying to change the heart of God, but understand that we change as we pray and that we may be the tangible answer to these spiritual requests. When the time comes and they will, as we pray for the safety of Afghans, many will end up at our borders and ports, many will end up at the ports and borders of allies. Will we respond tangibly to these refugees? That we prayed not only for them but we are now placed in the position of embracing them and being the answer to prayers?
The refugee, asylum, migrant concerns will continue to grow and not just be a crisis of global proportions, but evidence against humanities’ dealings with each other, abuses and self-interest indulgences. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing, yes in Afghanistan and still at the Southern Border, is an unraveling of policies and presence that never fully cared for the citizens of those nations but American interests and springboards to more and more for us and our allies, not them. Afghanistan, Haiti, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, the list is long in countries that we have ravaged by us and allies, even in trying to help. Citizens, image bearers on the ground, end up displaced in the least and dead at best, for they won’t have to live with the despair and burden of losing everything.
We are witnessing in greater proportion immediate awareness of the indictment against America, maybe not always its people but policies that represent us as a whole; we have failed. I pray we will make amends and re-evaluate our refugee, asylum, migrant seeking policies to care and support those that will end up at our doors looking for help. Policies forcing asylum seekers to stay in deplorable and dangerous conditions at the border or abandoning those refugees left behind as a result of our actions in Afghanistan are against every aspect of human rights, justice, Christian ethics and values. Regarding the global issue of climate change, we’ve seen the Earth ravaged and affect the movement of masses and insecurity around the world. We need to understand our position in a deeply connected world, our power and resources and that our policies have an impact not just here in the US but internationally as well. As we seek to represent Jesus and his kingdom policies, we must remember that all who mourn will be comforted and we are to be the comforters; even in a post-Christian nation, blessings of God, blessings of common good do rain as grace and we are all better off as an interconnected society when we “look to the interest of others.” Will you pray and be ready to embrace refugees, asylum seekers and migrants affected by our policies abroad? Thank you to all who served, thank you to all who attempted and still attempt to make a difference for us at home and abroad.
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